Pacioretty’s non-contact injury happened in the final minutes of the game. The Carolina Hurricanes had just started to get their first looks at Max Pacioretty, who they hoped would become another needed scoring option for a Stanley Cup contender.
Now they look likely to be without him because of a significant injury, one that overshadowed Thursday’s win against Minnesota.
The winger went down with 19.3 seconds left in the 5-2 win against the Wild on a non-contact injury. Pacioretty was skating with the puck near the goal and the boards when he pulled up and grabbed at the back of his lower right leg.
Acquired from Vegas in a July trade, Pacioretty had to be helped to the locker room while putting no weight on that leg — the same that required surgery for a torn Achilles tendon over the summer.
“We know what kind of player he is,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We got a glimpse of it and that was exciting. It’s the kind of player that we needed, a guy who could put the puck in the net. But hopefully it’s not as bad as we think, but I’m not too optimistic right now.” Pacioretty made his season debut on Jan. 5 and played four games, but he had missed the past two with a lower-body injury.
“It’s just really tough to see,” defenseman Brady Skjei said. Skjei, Brent Burns and Jalen Chatfield scored to give Carolina another productive offensive outing from its blueliners while Frederik Andersen was strong in net to lead the Hurricanes.
Burns and Skjei each scored during a three-goal second period for Carolina, while Chatfield added a third goal from a defenseman.
Carolina entered the game with 20 goals and 67 points from defensemen since Nov. 25, which was third in the NHL behind Winnipeg and the New York Rangers. Defensemen have now scored 10 of Carolina’s last 16 goals over four games.
Teuvo Teravainen added a short-handed goal in the second period while Martin Necas scored in the third, helping the Hurricanes blow the game open after a scoreless first period against Marc-Andre Fleury.
Andersen, meanwhile, remained steady all night to finish with 30 saves, including multiple stops that had Carolina fans chanting his name.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy scored for the Wild. Minnesota had won three straight games and earned at least a point in six straight road games, but those streaks ended with Carolina pushing ahead in the second period and then scoring twice early in the third to take a 5-1 lead. Kaprizov’s goal came on the power play for a 1-0 lead.
Subscribe to WRAL:
https://youtube.com/c/wral5
Follow WRAL:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/WRALTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WRAL
IG: https://instagram.com/wral
About WRAL-TV:
WRAL is your Raleigh, North Carolina news source. Check out our videos for the latest news in Raleigh, local sports, Raleigh weather, and more at https://WRAL.com
#nhl #hockey #highlights
5 Comments
Sadly, I think this will end his career
Hope he recovers but damn that sucks for the canes
Pacioretty’s contract is up after this season is over. I don’t think he’s gonna ever be able to play again after tearing the same Achilles twice in less than SIX MONTHS. I really feel bad for the guy. To work so hard and make a return to the lineup only to re-injure the exact same part of your body is a gut punch.
So sad for Max. He used to be at the VGK practice rink all the time working on his craft, and when he was healthy? He was a sharpshooting, gifted player. Feels like he should be in his prime, not possibly ending his career.
That is a career-ending injury. Bad-mouthing his former team, allan walsh as his agent. It's poetic justice!